Novation
by redangel365
Summary: Olivia and Elliot see each other again a year after he left. But, everything's changed. In a way, they get to start over. *EO
1. Chapter 1

**Here's something new.**

**Characters are not mine.**

**This will be a multi chap fic.**

"Portable to central requesting back up at 53-49 108th street. Shots fired. I repeat shots fired," Olivia said into her radio. She and her Partner were crouched down behind their squad car.

"Central to portable. Back up is on its way."

Olivia glanced at Nick who was watching the Queens house with an intense stare. He looked up and whispered "no movement". Three marked cars appeared in record time, sirens making their presence known. Olivia and Nick met the uniformed officers in the middle of the driveway.

Olivia immediately began to brief them. "We came to interview a witness for a case involving the death of a working girl. Knocked on the door; immediately heard shots fired. At least three men detected inside, no sign of our witness. Black female, 5'9, if you see her don't shoot." The Unis nodded.

Nick began to talk strategy as Olivia slipped on a vest, "we need three to remain in front. The rest will enter through the back, single file and then room to room."

They assembled into groups and within minutes Olivia was leading the way to the back door. They stopped directly in front of the door, guns drawn. Olivia nodded and Nick immediately kicked it open and moved back.

"This is the police. Drop all weapons and exit the building," Olivia shouted. Immediately they could hear the front door being slammed shut and the sounds of at least one perp being tackled to the ground. Olivia waved her hand and the officers immediately piled in.

They separated when they got to the stairs; half going up and half clearing the first floor. Olivia went up. She stopped behind one of the uniformed officers who stood in front of a locked door. A vaguely familiar voice called out "Police open up". When there was no response the young officer used his shoulder to break the door. He immediately had his gun drawn again and Olivia followed him into the room. All of a sudden someone sprung from behind a dresser and shot at them. Olivia shot back and the shooter was down. She kicked the gun out of his hand and looked back to see the young officer touching the side of his head. That's when she noticed the blood.

Olivia picked up her radio, "Call a bus, officer down." She walked over to him and instructed him to sit down. She looked at his head and sighed, "It's a flesh wound. The bullet must have grazed your head."

"Olivia?"

She looked into his eyes surprised that he knew her name. When she saw the blue orbs, she realized why the voice sounded familiar. "Dickie?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my god, when did you become a cop? Wow, you're so… grown up." She probably would have went on if the radio hadn't beeped signaling the all clear. "Come on," she said standing up.

He shook his head and closed his eyes tightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Just hurts."

She took his hand and helped him up, putting his arm around her shoulder, and helping him downstairs. The ambulance arrived just as they did and she had this sudden urge to ride with him. She felt like she would be betraying Elliot somehow if she didn't make sure he was okay. It was a ridiculous feeling and as soon as the doors shut she regretted going because Nick would probably being wondering where she was. The EMTs were talking about grazing injuries and severe wounds when Dickie lost consciousness.

Olivia talked to Nick as she waited outside Dickie's hospital room. He gave her a general recap of the crime scene. Eventually the doctors let her in to see him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like a bullet took off half of my forehead."

Olivia laughed at his try at humor and took the seat next to his bed. "How long have you been on the force?"

"A little over a year."

She nodded and looked into his blue eyes; she felt like she was staring at her old partner. "You know, you look a lot like your dad. Maybe a little more hair and a little younger."

Dickie smiled, "a little?"

They both laughed and suddenly the door of the hospital room swung open.

"Oh my god, Dickie what happened? Are you alright? I knew this was a bad idea."

"Kath you said you were calm." Olivia looked up at that voice and suddenly two pairs of eyes shifted from Dickie to Olivia.

"I'm fine mom, I can't believe they called you guys. It's just a flesh wound. The bullet barely grazed me."

"Olivia, it's great to see you," Kathy looked at the slightly younger woman and back to her son, "Were you two working together?"

She and Elliot stared intently at each other; each taking in the others appearances, the changes.

"Yeah we bumped into each other at the raid." She forced her eyes to stray from Elliot's so she could look at Kathy.

"It was awesome guys. She came in and shot the guy who shot me."

She glanced at Dickie who was smiling and was surprised at the way he nonchalantly talked about her almost ending someone's life. She figured he was just trying to defuse the obvious tension in the room. Elliot had yet to speak since he saw her. She got up suddenly.

"I better get going now. Get better kid," she said as she patted Dickie's shoulder. She walked toward Elliot and Kathy, "nice to see you guys."

Elliot seemed to find his voice as she was walking past him to get to the door. "We should catch up sometime."

She stopped and nodded but the whole situation was unbearably awkward. His proximity to her when he decided to speak only made it worse. She was stopped right next to him: between him and Kathy. But, she was only staring at him.

Nick poked his head in the hospital room; "Liv, they've found our girl."

She nodded at him and nodded at Elliot. She turned to Dickie, "feel better." She walked a little and then turned back, "nice seeing you all".

Nick put his hand on the small of her back and led her into the hallway.

**scr

"You okay?" he asked as they sat in the car. She had barely said a word throughout the whole interview with the victim and she obviously had something on her mind.

She just nodded.

"So, who was that rook?"

"Stabler's son."

"Stabler? The Stabler? Wait, was that him in the hospital room?" Nick pulled away from the curb and shook his head slightly, "you should've introduced me."

Olivia cocked an eyebrow at him; "why, did you want an autograph?"

"I pictured him older," Nick ignored her comment.

"He's a good fifteen years older than you."

"You guys hardly said anything to each other."

"I think he was more worried about his son."

"He looked like he wanted to say something."  
"Are you a mind reader now?"

"Just making an observation," Nick glanced at her as he slowed for a speed bump. "Was there something going on between you two before he left?"

"Not that it's any of your business but he's married. Now, can you stop with the questions; I'm getting a headache.

Nick drove the rest of the way in silence as Olivia rested her head against the window.

**scr

When they arrived at the precinct, Olivia couldn't help but notice the blatant staring in her direction. The questioning eyes as they got to the bullpen.

"What's going on?" Nick questioned.

Fin gestured to Cragen's office, "we have a special visitor."

Olivia's heart skipped a beat as she noticed the distinctive backside of her former partner. She turned away and took a seat at her desk.

She was typing furiously on her keyboard when he came out. She didn't stop as he made his way toward her. She didn't look up as he stopped beside her desk.

"Lets get dinner," he said so quietly that she almost didn't catch it.

She could feel the whole room looking at them. Somehow it always felt like when they were together, they captivated everyone.

"I'm working," she replied even though she had stopped typing.

"Cragen said you were done for the day."

She looked at him for the first time and saw the pleading in his eyes.

"Okay," she got up and he immediately took her purse from her lower drawer as if preventing her from changing her mind.

Hope you liked it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a little bit of background: This story is set one year after Elliot left, the whole dead hooker in Cragen's bed and everything after that never happened, I'm guessing on the ages of Elliot's kids. `**

He picked a nice Italian restaurant that they'd never been to. She supposed that he did that intentionally to remind her that this was a new page for them. The place was intimate and she could instantly tell that their waiter thought that they were a couple.

"So, how have you been?" He asked her once they'd settled down.

"Are we really going to do the small talk?" She gave him a pointed stare.

He grinned, "I guess not." She looked down at her menu and he stared at her. "I've missed you."

Her head snapped up at his unexpected words. "Well, you knew where to find me."

"Touché."

They held each other's stare for moments until the waiter deposited a bottle of wine and two glasses. She hadn't even heard him order the bottle. He opened it and poured them both a decent amount.

"How's Dickie?"

"He's fine. Kathy over reacts. You know: motherly instinct."

His words hung in the air and by the time he realized his fault she had already moved on. "How are you and Kathy?"

"Are relationship has actually never been better. When I retired, we realized some things about our marriage and ourselves."

"That's great," she said as convincingly as she could. "I always knew you guys would work out."

"Why?"

"You are one of those men that are just meant to be married."

"Me and Kathy got divorced five months ago."

Her forehead creased as she thought about his words, "I thought you said that you guys have never been better?"

"We haven't. Kathy and I realized that we weren't meant for each other. But, we've become closer for it. We even still live together. I have Maureen's old bedroom now."

"I don't understand-" Olivia was interrupted as the waiter came to collect their orders. Elliot resumed the conversation when the starky man left.

"Let's talk about you." Elliot's eyes pierced hers as he smiled.

"There's nothing to talk about. I've been the same."

"Nothing's changed this past year?"  
She shrugged, "are you working now?"

He sighed; "I'm with homeland security now."

"Wow, you've climbed to the top of the food chain. How does it feel hanging with the big dogs?"

"Eh, they're not as cool as my old partner."

She smiled and it made him happy. It also encouraged him to keep talking.

"I only work part time now. I'm with the secret service. I mainly tail the Clintons when they come to the city from upstate."

"Sounds interesting."

"If by interesting you mean incredibly boring."

"That is actually what I meant." She smiled at him and he felt light again.

Their food came and she almost hated that she loved it. She drank the wine gingerly because it complemented the meal well. When they finished, he didn't ask for the check right away and she was starting to think that this felt more like a date than it should.

They talked some more about his kids and the new detectives in the squad and his new job. They talked for almost an hour after the meal ended and then they finally decided it was time to go. Elliot paid for the meal and she had expected no less.

It was dark by the time they arrived at her apartment. She had fallen asleep against her seat. "Liv," he said gently. She didn't stir. "Liv," he said as he gently shook her thigh.

Her eyes flashed open and she grabbed his hand. He looked down at her hand on top of his and then looked up into her eyes. He gave her hand a light squeeze and then noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Liv-"

"Why did you leave?" She whispered.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you. I wanted to come back but I couldn't."

She pulled her hand away to wipe the tear from her eye. She hated crying; she hated feeling weak. She hated that he could reduce her to that.

"Why did you give me this?" She asked clutching the necklace that was cradled between her breasts.

"Semper fi. You'll always be my partner, Liv."

"Come back," she whispered.

"I can't," he whispered back looking away.

She just nodded and she felt devastated. She was reliving the day that Cragen told her that he'd retired all over again. She couldn't handle it.

"Goodbye Elliot," her voice was thick with emotion and she realized that it was the first time she'd said his name in months. She quickly exited the car and walked into her building. She was glad that she finally had closure.

***scr

"Hey champ," Elliot said as he entered his home and noticed his oldest son slouched on the couch.

"Hey dad. Mom's at the supermarket. I'm gonna be staying here for a couple of days." Dickie turned his attention back to the football game on the screen after he was done speaking.

Elliot took a seat besides his son on the couch, "you okay?"

"It could've been worse."

Elliot just nodded his understanding. He'd been in the same situation dozens of times. Injured on the job with everyone worried about him but just wondering if maybe he was doing something wrong. Maybe things would've turned out different and that day would've been his last. On those days, he found himself regretting many things. Being an absent father, a distant husband, a bad partner, but most of all he regretted denying himself certain truths.

"Did you speak to Olivia?"

Dickie's question pulled him out of his thoughts, "I did but she's made it sound like she doesn't want to speak to me anymore."

"I don't believe that."

"Why not?"

Dickie shrugged, "you and Olivia…"

Dickie didn't continue and soon Kathy was ringing the doorbell signaling them to help her with the groceries. Dickie and Elliot both got up and got to the door, each grabbing a handful of bags.

Eli came running into the house with Kathy following him closely. "Hey daddy. Dickieee!"

"Hey bud," Dickie bent down to give his nearly seven year old brother a hug.

"What happened?" Eli said motioning to the bandage on the side of Dickie's head.

"I got hurt today at work."

Dickie and Eli sat on the couch as Dickie explained what happened. Elliot and Kathy were left in the kitchen alone.

"So?" she said with a suggestive smile.

"So?" he questioned burrowing his eyebrows.

"How did it go with Olivia?"

"Kath-"

"El, we're separated now. I don't mind. Really, I don't. I knew that you two would eventually end up together."

"Kath, that's not happening."

"Why?"

"She's mad at me and she's not interested in me in that way."

"Then make her interested. God, what's wrong with you?"

Elliot was becoming increasingly confused. "And isn't it too early for me to start seeing someone? We haven't even been divorced half a year."

Kathy turned away and clutched the countertop. She resumed putting away the groceries seconds later. "I'm seeing someone," she said quietly.

Elliot stood still not sure how to take that. "Good… I'm glad."

Kathy turned around and stared at him, "El, I was going to tell you."

"So why didn't you?"

"Well, things have been going so well."

"They can still go well. We can still make this work."

She just nodded, "we both deserve to be happy."

"We will be," he kissed her on the cheek and then went into the living room to sit with his sons.

**Hope you enjoyed. Appreciate the reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So here goes chapter 3. I'm not even sure you guys like this story because you're not reviewing but I like writing it so I guess that's what should matter. **

Twelve days had past since she saw him. Olivia tried not to think about it too often. She'd gone on exactly three dates with two different men in the past week, but she didn't feel like she was getting anywhere. All she knew was that she had a sudden urge to jump back into the dating game again. After her relationship with David Haden, she hesitated to accept offers to go out. The wounds seemed too fresh; she'd thought she needed time to herself. But, now she needed time away from herself. She needed a distraction so she could stop thinking about a man who had dominated her thoughts for more than a decade.

She hadn't expected to see him on that thirteenth day, but she did. She had had a final interview with IAB regarding the shooting. Coincidentally, Dickie had been in the office to undergo officer evaluations so they could determine when he could begin working again. She had seen him when she was leaving.

"Richard," she'd called as to not embarrass him with his nickname in public.

He'd turned and smiled, "Hi, Olivia."  
She looked him up and down, so obviously not used to him in a suit and tie. "You clean up well."

Dickie had an impish grin as he shrugged. "Where are ya headed?"

"Work," she sighed.

"How about you join me for some lunch?"

She was surprised he had offered and even more surprised that he seemed genuine about it. "Sure," she'd found herself replying without much thought. At least one Stabler wanted to spend time with her.

He smiled again and they made their way outside and down the marble steps. The steps were uneven and she found the task difficult because she had been dressed up in a pencil skirt and heels. One Police Plaza housed most of the higher-ups and all officers dressed to impress when they were required to enter the building.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she was going to ask him where he wanted to eat. But he'd already walked up to a black SUV and opened the passenger door, motioning for her to get inside.

She looked in the car and watched as Elliot turned to her, seemingly just as surprised as she was. Dickie had already climbed into the passenger seat. Olivia got in the car because she knew if she told Dickie she no longer wanted to go, it would be too obvious that Elliot was the reason.

"Dad, Olivia is joining us for lunch. Hope you don't mind."

Joining us? That meant they had already planned on going to lunch. Funny how Dickie had conveniently forgotten to mention that.

"I don't mind at all. The more the merrier." Elliot turned to smile at her before diverting his attention to the oncoming traffic. "Maureen said she'd meet us there."

Olivia couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on a family luncheon. She turned to look at Elliot and noticed that he was also dressed in a suit. "Going somewhere?"

"I just finished work." She just nodded and he glanced at her. Hid sapphire eyes almost glowing with mischief as he stops for a red light. He looks pointedly at her skirt; "going somewhere?"

She wants to smack the smug grin off of his face. "I had a meeting with Tucker today."

"That must've gone well."

"Well, he's still a hard ass. But, he's a lot more tolerable."

"That's only because he's always had a thing for you. He just hated me."

"Well, I am very likeable."

Olivia hadn't bothered to ask where they were going. She was surprised when they stopped at a big bistro right near Rockefeller Center. Elliot parked in a no parking zone. Olivia was about to question him but he seemed to know what she was going to ask.

"One of the perks of getting a federal issued vehicle. I can park anywhere."

"Kind of abusing your power aren't you, dad?"

"The street cleaners will live," he said exiting the car.

They were seated in a circular table. Elliot and Dickie immediately sat across from each other, leaving Olivia to take the seat between them. When Elliot scooted his chair all the way in, his leg brushed against hers. He didn't acknowledge it and made no attempt to move it.

"So, why were you at 1PP?" Olivia asked.

"Observations. I've been ordered a mandatory 4 meetings with a shrink and an arms test before I can work in the field again. For the next couple of weeks, I'll be pushing papers."

"Well it could've been worse."  
"Yeah, I could've been dead."  
Elliot looked up from his menu, "Well thank God you aren't." Dickie just nodded and excused himself to the bathroom.

Maureen made her way to their table, spotting her father. "Hi daddy," she said kissing him on the cheek. She turned to sit and noticed Olivia. "Liv, wow, hi, how are you?" She muttered the words leaning down to hug her father's former partner.

Olivia smiled, "I've been good, how are you? You've graduated med school recently, right?"  
Maureen nodded and took the seat opposite of Olivia. "Your looking at a world class cardiologist," Elliot smiled.

"Well let's not get ahead of ourselves. I still have to shadow a doctor; but I'm getting there."

"That's great," Olivia said.

Dickie came back and sat at the table, "hey Maur."

"Hey," she smiled. "So, how did this happen? I mean why did you decide to join us for lunch?" She directed the question at Olivia.

"I bumped into Dickie earlier and he invited me to join you guys."

Maureen nodded. The waiter came around to take their orders and they were silent for a bit after that. Maureen was the first to speak.

"So, I've got exciting news."

"What is it?" Elliot asked.

Maureen held up her left hand, "Nick proposed."

Dickie immediately congratulated his older sister. Elliot seemed lost in his own world and Olivia put her hand on his leg for comfort out of instinct. He stared at her for a few painfully long seconds before she removed her hand.

"That's great, Maureen," Olivia said.

Elliot's eyes got watery as he stood up. He pulled Maureen out of her chair and gave her a hug. He was whispering something in her ear as he did so and Maureen also got teary eyed. Elliot pulled away and they both sat down. He moved his leg so that it was touching Olivia's again.

"Look at me, an old man; my oldest daughter is getting married."

Maureen laughed through her tears, "you were old before that, dad."

Olivia wanted to cry at how sweet the moment was and scream at the fact that she would never experience a moment like it with a child of her own.

"He wants to get married in March."

"That's less than two months," Dickie said.

"Yeah but he's going on a tour soon. The sooner we do this, the better."

"Tour?" Olivia asked.

"He's a marine," Elliot said proudly.

"He promised that this was going to be his last tour. He wants to become a firefighter," Maureen said wiping her tears.

"That's great," Elliot said and Olivia was surprised at how much he liked this guy. He usually hated all of his daughters boyfriends.

Their food came quickly after that and Maureen continued to describe her wonderful fiancé. She talked about how they met and how long they'd been together. She described his parents and when she went to visit his family home. They'd all laughed as she recounted Nick's first meeting with Elliot.

"You guys must be getting bored, I'm sorry. Sometimes I feel like I can talk about him for hours."

"Well you're in love. It's perfectly acceptable," Olivia smiled.

"Well, what about you, Liv?" Maureen asked expectantly.

"What about me?"

"Are you seeing anyone?" I mean, I know the boys are hopeless when it comes to women," she looked pointedly at Elliot and Dickie, "but you must have guys all over you."

"No, nothing serious," Olivia tried to deflect the question to get the attention off of her.

"Why not?" Dickie asked.

Elliot glared at his son; he was obviously uncomfortable with the line of questioning.

"I actually just got out of something," Olivia took a sip of her drink and tried to inconspicuously move her leg away from Elliot's.

"With who?" Maureen asked.

"Umm, you guys probably don't know him," she looked up at their expectant eyes and just blurted the name out, "David Haden".

"No way. You were dating the EADA?" Dickie seemed surprised. She glanced at Elliot who was staring at her with slight intrigue. He somehow managed to slide his leg next to hers again.

"Why'd you guys break up?"  
"We never told out bosses we were together and he was offered a promotion that created a conflict of interest between us," Olivia sighed.

"So why would he take the promotion?" Dickie asked.

"Because I told him to."  
"That's stupid," Dickie stated.

Olivia wanted to laugh at his conclusion, "he'd been working for the promotion a whole lot longer than I'd known him."  
"There are some things more important than work," Dickie stated and the whole table got tense because he wasn't just talking about Olivia and David anymore. Olivia looked at Elliot whose face had turned slightly red. He moved his leg away from hers and she missed the contact immediately.

"People make mistakes," Elliot said looking at his son. They stayed staring at each other for a few long moments.

"I've got to go. My shift is starting soon." Maureen's statement couldn't have come at a better time. Olivia motioned for the waiter to bring out the check and it arrived none to shortly. She took out her wallet, but was promptly stopped when Elliot's hand curled over hers.

"I've got it," he said and took his hand back.

She shook her head and continued opening her wallet; "I paid lunches, you paid dinners."

Elliot smiled as he remembered their system for stakeouts. He agreed to let her pay because he knew he wouldn't win an argument with her; he almost never did.

Maureen said goodbye to them when they all exited the restaurant as she had come in her own car. Elliot insisted on driving Olivia to the precinct and she felt no need to object. When they arrived to the precinct, she awkwardly side hugged him goodbye and waved goodbye to Dickie who was in the back seat. She didn't know the proper protocol for saying goodbye to your ex-partner and his kid. Were they friends? She briefly wondered if things would be tense between the two men seeing as how their lunch conversation had went south. But, they both seemed content to talk about the Yankees.

Elliot watched as Olivia walked up the steps to the building. The skirt she was wearing made him think thoughts that he definitely shouldn't be thinking in front of his son.

When Olivia left the car Dickie quickly changed the topic of conversation. "What the hell is wrong with you?" When his father's head turned quickly to him in shock, Dickie knew he had his attention; "you barely said two words to Olivia. No wonder you think she doesn't want to see you."  
"What are you talking about? I was talking to her. I asked her where she'd been. And plus it's not like I had a lot of forewarning. I wasn't prepared to see her. You just sprung her on me."  
"I thought you wanted her to forgive you?"

"I do!"

"Well, not talking to her is certainly not going to help."

"I'm not good with talking. Before, we spent so much time together that it felt like I could tell her anything. We would just talk out of boredom or to unload. Now, what do we have in common? I feel like I don't even know her outside of the job. And it's…weird. I don't even know what to say to her."

"Maybe that's because you're still thinking of her as your partner."

"And what should I be thinking of her as?"

"A woman."

Elliot briefly stared at his son, "since when did you become the expert on woman."  
Dickie shrugged, "I mean I've only grown up with four of them." Elliot chuckled.

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again.**

Olivia shouldn't have been so surprised when the wedding invitation came in the mail a week later, but she was. She supposed it was just a courtesy invite. After all, she had been there when Maureen announced her engagement. Maureen probably felt obligated to send her an invitation. She probably didn't even want Olivia to come; she probably wasn't expecting her to come. Plus, the wedding was probably going to be a huge family affair; she wouldn't know anyone. She would need a date to accompany her and that would just be awkward with Elliot there.

She'd clearly already decided that she wasn't going to go. But, there was the tiniest part of her that wanted to see Elliot walk Maureen down the aisle. She wanted to see him be the proud papa that he was. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind.

Three days after she'd gotten the invitation, Elliot showed up at her apartment. He had somehow gotten past the lobby door without having to ring; so when someone knocked on her door at six o'clock, she had no idea whom it could be. When she looked through the peephole, she had to step back and look again to be sure her eyes were not deceiving her.

She opened the door and noticed he was in his more casual wear: jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He looked surprised to see her even though he had shown up at her apartment.

"Hey," he said first. "I was just in the neighborhood."

She burrowed her brow, "hey yourself."

"Can I come in?" He asked and she just nodded in response. She stepped back and let him enter her apartment. She had actually been preparing for a date with some man that Melinda promised she was going to love. She was wearing a long sleeved black sheath dress that ended slightly above her knees. He seemed to notice. "I'm sorry, am I keeping you? Were you going somewhere?"

"Not for another hour or so. Come, sit, talk." She led him toward the couch and they both sat at opposite ends. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." He stole glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking; she of course knew.

"Elliot?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you really come?"

Elliot looked around and spotted the wedding invitation on the counter. He went over to it, "I see you've gotten the invitation."

She nodded, getting a little anxious at his lack of explanation as to why he came. "Elliot?"

"So, are you coming?"

"To the wedding? I don't know if I can get off of work and plus it seems like a family affair. I don't want to intrude."

"Come with me." The statement sounded more like a hopeful question.

"What?"

"Come with me to my daughter's wedding."

"As your date?"

"Yes."

"Won't that be awkward?"

"Why?"

"Your wife and kids are going to be there."

"Ex-wife and she's also bringing a date. My kids will be fine."

"Why?" She asked.

He shrugged. "You're my best friend. There's no one I'd rather go to my daughter's wedding with."

"Okay."

"Okay, you'll come?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Is that why you came?" She asked.

He nodded, "also, Kathy is hosting a small dinner party for Maureen and her fiancé and all the kids, you know so they could get to know him. She wanted me to invite you."

"That's out of the blue."

"Well you did save Dickie's life," he looked at her as he acknowledged for the first time that this woman had saved him once again. She looked away. "And the wedding is going to be small. _Intimate-_ Maureen called it. So you should get to meet the groom, being my date and all." He smiled as he said date and she couldn't decide whether she wanted to jump for joy or scream at him for sending her so many mixed signals. She had no idea what his intentions were. Did he want to start a relationship? Did he want someone to come with him to his daughter's wedding because his ex also had a date? Did he want to repay her for saving his son? Did he feel like this would repair their friendship?

"When is it?" She asked instead of the dozens of questions that were lining her mind.

"Friday night. Seven o'clock."

"I'll see if I can leave work at a reasonable time."

"Great."

She excused herself to go to the bathroom. Moments after she left there was a gentle knock on the door. Elliot should've mentioned to Olivia that her building's front door could not close properly because someone had put an obscene amount of duck tape on the sides. Elliot opened the door to a very well dressed man with flowers in his hand. The man looked confused and backed up to check the door number.

"Does Olivia Benson live here?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell her Bill is here to pick her up?"  
"Oh, your bill! She has been waiting for you since seven this morning. She's so exciting! I'm her brother. You know she really hasn't been the same since the accident, but we're all so glad she's going out again. It's been such a long time. Here, let me give you some disposable underwear; she tends to tinker when she gets excited." Elliot backed away as if to retrieve the aforementioned items but was abruptly stopped by Bill.

"I actually just got a beep from work. They need me right now. Here give her these," he thrust the flowers at Elliot and quickly made his way to the elevator.

"Who was that?" Olivia asked stepping out of her bedroom as Elliot closed the door.

"Uh, Bill? He said something just came up at work that he couldn't get out of for tonight, but, eh, he wanted me to give you these," Elliot handed her the flowers.

Olivia sighed and took the flowers and Elliot thought that she seemed slightly disappointed. He almost felt bad.

"Hey, do you wanna go see a movie?"

Olivia looked up at him, "sure, that would actually be really great right now."

They went to see some action movie that they both agreed was the worst movie they'd ever seen. There was no plot and a whole lot of unnecessary killing. They left halfway through because they kept bursting into fits of laughter at how ridiculous the movie was. They went to get Mexican food after. Olivia remembered thinking that she'd never seen Elliot so relaxed.

They talked about neutral subjects like movies and museums they'd been to. He told her about a lighthouse he used to visit when he was a kid and she talked about a library she'd been to with statues rounding every corner. They'd joked and laughed and her heart ached with burning want. She wanted to be with him so badly. She wanted to spend everyday with him and most of all she wanted him to want her back. But, as always, he gave no indication to his true feelings.

He dropped her off at her apartment and he told her he'd pick her up Friday night.

***scr

Friday came before she knew it and she was debating whether she should just call Elliot and tell him she couldn't make it. She was still in the precinct. With a new suspect in custody, the squad was taking turns interrogating the guy in pairs. She and Nick had just come out of interrogation and it was 4:30.

The dinner started at seven and it took an hour to drive to queens, plus at least thirty minutes to get ready. With that in mind, she would have to start getting ready at 5:30 and that was not going to happen. After Fin and Rollins sweat the perp for an hour, Olivia and Nick were supposed to continue their nice-guy tactics.

Olivia held off the call and when Fin and Amanda came back into the bullpen at 5:24, Olivia got up to go back into interrogation. Nick however wouldn't have it; "hey, didn't you have something to go to tonight?"

"Yeah, but I'll just cancel. It's fine."

"No, go, I can handle him myself."  
"You sure?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, now go!"

Olivia thanked Nick with a grateful smile and hurried into the locker room where she'd stored her dress. She called Elliot on the way to tell him to pick her up at the precinct and call when he was downstairs. She'd chosen a simple mid-length sleeveless black dress that was fitted on top and had a flowing skirt. She got changed and re-did her make-up and hair. She went back out into the squad room when she was done. She wasn't expecting to see Elliot there grinning at Fin and holding his hand out to Amanda. He wore gray slacks and a black shirt that was unbuttoned on the top. He exuded handsomeness and confidence.

He shook Amanda's hand; "I'm Elliot Stabler, nice to meet you."

"Amanda Rollins," she said looking into the depths of his eyes. He let go of her hand and she nearly forgot to do the same.

"So your daughter's getting married, huh? Your old Stabler," Fin said.

"Oh don't give me that crap, Liv told me that Ken tied the knot months ago."

"Oh well if we're trading secrets, did you know Liv-"

Olivia chose then to make her presence known, walking towards Fin's desk. "Liv what?"

"Liv looks beautiful tonight," Fin smiled his toothy grin.

"As opposed to every other night?"

"Learn how to take a complement, woman. Especially when you look like that."

Olivia smiled at him and Elliot nodded, "you ready?"

"Yeah let me just grab my bag," she went down to the locker room.

Cragen came out of his office, "Elliot, you're making this a habit."

"Is that a problem, cap?"

"Of course not. We are so glad you graced us with your presence. After all, you are swimming with the big fish now," Cragen teased.

He smiled, "homeland security is not all it's cracked up to be."

"I think he misses us," Fin said sweetly.

"Some parts more than others," he looked pointedly at Fin and grinned.

Fin laughed. "I think we all know exactly which parts those are," he flicked his eyes toward Olivia who had just re-entered the room and then looked back to Elliot with raised eyebrows. Elliot pretended not to realize what Fin was getting at.

Elliot and Olivia left soon after and Elliot told her she looked _good_ when they got on the elevator. Olivia pretended that she didn't desperately want that good to be a beautiful or great or something that indicated that he was attracted to her.

The drive to his house was mostly filled with music and casual conversation. He had jokingly said that the new detective was 'kind of cute' and she had agonized over the remark for the last thirty minutes of the drive. _He really did have a thing for blondes. _

When they did arrive to his home, it was bigger than she remembered. Kathleen had greeted them at the door with a warm hug and an 'it's so great to see you'. The way she said the words made Olivia feel like they had to be true. When they went into the house, Elliot scooped Eli up and told him to say hi to Olivia. He did but then shied away and she thought he was the cutest kid, having the best features from both of his parents. Elizabeth was the next one they approached and she'd been polite and said hi. She was the quietest of the children but Elliot always described her as the smartest. She had gotten a full ride to Northeastern University including room, board, and books. Dickie was sitting next to Elizabeth on the couch and Olivia noticed that he had finally gotten the bandage off of his head. He got up and gave her a hug as he greeted her.

After greeting all of the kids, except for Maureen who had yet to arrive with her fiancé, Elliot and Olivia went into the kitchen where Kathy putting the finishing touches on the full course dinner she had planned. When they walked in, she immediately stopped and said hello to them. She hugged Olivia; pulling her in close and whispering 'it's been too long'. Kathy pulled away and Olivia noticed that Elliot was no longer by her side. He had moved toward the oven where he proceeded to take the baked ziti out and lay it on a cutting board on the counter.

Kathy called for the kids to come to the table right as the front door slammed, indicating the arrival of Maureen and Nick. Elliot continued to set the freshly cooked dishes on the table as Kathy went to greet the couple in the living room. Olivia stayed and helped Elliot.

They went out into the dining room where Dickie, Lizzie, and Kathleen were already seated. Maureen joined them followed closely by a tall man and Kathy. Elliot gave Maureen a hug and shook hands with Nick as she moved aside. Olivia, who finally got a view of the blonde man, nearly gasped. She caught his eye and he instantly let go of Elliot's hand.

"Olivia," he said in his strong voice.

The dining room, which was filled with idle chatter seconds ago, seemed to freeze as Olivia replied, "Dominic".

Everyone looked between the pair in curiosity as Dominic pulled Olivia into a hug and whispered, "How are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing master sergeant. You of all people retiring from the marines?"

Dominic laughed, "I'm actually Sergeant Major, now. And I've finally found something more important than the service." He looked to Maureen who looked nothing but confused at the whole interaction.

"I'm hungry," Eli exclaimed from beside his mother. Everyone took that as a cue to sit down.

"How do you two know each other," Kathleen asked.

"Five years ago he was our main suspect for a murder." Elliot eyes bore a whole in Dominic as Olivia continued, "I was so sure it was him. But, obviously it wasn't. I felt so bad afterward. I'd single handedly made sure that he was put through hell."

"You were only doing your job."

"That's what you said before to."

"Well, it was true then to," Dominic said. Olivia smiled.

"That's it? You just knew each other from that one incident?" Maureen asked.

Olivia and Dominic shared a quick look that didn't go unnoticed by Elliot. "Yeah," that's how we know each other Dominic said.

**This actually took me hours to write and I don't know why. Entire scenes would get deleted out of the blue and I feel like the re-written ones aren't even as good.**

**Oh, by the way I'm talking about the character Dominic Pruitt from the episode 'PTSD'. I've just always felt like there was something there between him and Olivia. But, he is like a decade younger than her. **


	5. Chapter 5

**So this is a long one. Some scenes may seem extraneous; but it's all a part of the character development. While writing this, I realized how truly little we know about these characters that have been on our screens for 14 years. We only know the high stressed cynical versions of them, and while the job has undoubtedly withered them, they still have real personalities that are not morbidly damaged by their professions. Even the scenes we saw of Elliot's home life have all been stress related: Kathy's accident, Kathleen's illness, his mother's neglect, etc. What I'm trying to say is that if you find yourself thinking that this doesn't seem like them, ask yourself what does. What would they do?**

"Dad, what are you wearing to the wedding?"

Elliot turned to Kathleen, "I just bought a fitted black tux, why?"

"Well, what about Olivia? "

"I have no idea what she's planning to wear."

"Aren't you going to match? She's your date."

"I don't think she would want to do that, Katie."

"Did you pick out your tie yet?" Elliot just shook his head. "Are you doing anything now?"

"No, but-"

Kathleen grabbed his hand and led him toward the door; "let's go now." He sighed and followed her to the car where she automatically got into the driver's seat. They drove to the bridal shop where Maureen had picked out her dress.

The saleswoman who helped them brought them to the 'Tie Vault' which was a room that consisted of floor to ceiling shelves filled with ties and arranged by color, width, and style. Elliot had certainly never seen anything like it and he didn't know where to begin.

"What color is your wife wearing?" the clerk whose nametag read Sandra asked.

"He's actually bringing a date and he doesn't even know what she's wearing," Kathleen whispered the last part to her as if it was some female secret. Elliot had already begun looking in one of the drawers nearest to the woman.

Sandra looked incredulously at Elliot and closed the drawer he was looking through. "Well, Mr. Stabler first we have to find a dress for your date now, don't we?"

"Um, actually-"

"Great," Sandra led them to a room filled with bridesmaid's dresses.

Kathleen grabbed Elliot's hand and pulled him along. "Let's just see if there's something you like, daddy."

Elliot begrudgingly complied. He looked around the room while Kathleen flicked through dresses on a rack.

"You're not even looking!" Kathleen turned to him after a few minutes.

"That's because I already see something I like," Elliot turned his attention to a light pink silk dress that was hanging on the wall.

Kathleen smiled, "it's perfect." She immediately informed Sandra who got it down.

"Do you know your dates measurements?" Sandra asked.

"Uh, no, sorry. I forgot to measure her this week like I usually do every week."

Sandra was not impressed by his sarcasm. "Well let's estimate shall we? Waist size-in inches?"  
"Um, maybe 40?"

The woman looked at Elliot and said a simple, "oh".

Kathleen laughed, "She's about a 25 or 26."

"Hip?"

"35 to 36," Kathleen answered.

"Bust- bra size will do."

"She's a 36D," Elliot stated before Kathleen had the chance.

Sandra looked up from her notes, "ah, of course, ever the gentlemen: he knows her exact bra size." She then took the dress and went to make the adjustments in the back.

Kathleen looked at her father, "care to explain?"

"We got changed near each other for over a decade. You know: unisex locker rooms. Lets just say a man notices these things."

Kathleen nodded, smiling knowingly, "let's just pick out your tie."

***scr

He had dropped her dress off when she wasn't home. He used the spare key that he had barely touched in all the years he had it. He put the boxed dress under her bed and swiftly exited her apartment; not wanting to invade her privacy.

He called her at around nine o'clock. She was sat in bed flipping through her mail.

"Hey El," she'd greeted.

"Hey Liv."

"What's up?" She asked.

"Uh, I was just wondering if you knew what you were going to wear to the wedding. Kathleen had this crazy notion that we should match, you know tie and dress. I mean if you don't want to, it's fine. I don't really care."

"Well, I wouldn't mind. But, I was planning on picking out a dress this weekend and the wedding is next week so I don't want to have to inconvenience you with picking a tie, last minute."

"Well, it is an important event and we want the pictures to look nice."

"You're going to have four more of these Elliot; I wouldn't worry too much about how you look for the pictures."

He chuckled, "yeah, but… Look under your bed."

Olivia looked around the room and then at the window. She was confused by the request. She slowly got off of her bed and crouched onto the floor. She immediately saw the white box. She pulled off the cover to reveal a beautiful dress. "What did you do?"

"It was Kathleen's idea. I couldn't refuse. Try it on."

Olivia put the phone on speaker as she deposited the box onto her bed. She quickly got undressed and put the dress on. Elliot pictured her movements as he heard the shuffling around the room. She closed a door and he knew it was the one that concealed a full-length mirror.

"I love it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

***scr

He knocked on her apartment door. She opened soon after. She was wearing a robe and he was slightly worried. She looked at him over and noticed that his bow-tie was the exact color and fabric of her dress. The tux he wore was extremely fitted and he chose to forego the vest.

"You're almost ready, right?" She looked up into his eyes but he didn't seem to notice her looking him over.

"Yeah, I just have to put on my dress." She led him in and instructed him to sit on the couch. He waited silently as she went back into her bedroom. She came back out minutes later. "Can you zip me?"

He nodded and stood up as she turned around. He approached her and hesitated before putting his hand on the zipper. He pulled it up slowly and inched slightly closer to her while doing so. By the time it was half way up her back, she could feel his breath on her neck. His finger slipped and hit her bare skin. Her head snapped to the side and she looked at him. He stared at her as he put his hand back on the zipper and pulled it all the way up.

"All done," he said, still holding her gaze. His voice was thick.

"What do you think?" She turned around.

He looked at the dress and back at her face, "It's…". He looked back down at the dress and he found himself saying, "it goes great with my tie."

He didn't know why those words are the ones that formed in his head. He thought she looked spectacular. Her hair was down in loose curls and pulled together with a few pins. The dress fit her perfectly and it was stunning. The straps just hugged her shoulders like they belonged there and the rest of the dress hugged her as if to say that she shouldn't be wearing clothes at all.

She was slightly disappointed but she didn't have any witty remark in response. "I'll just grab my clutch and then we could leave. Can you carry that for me." She pointed to a box wrapped in a silver wrapping paper and tied with a white bow.

He just nodded.

***scr

The ceremony was actually really beautiful. Maureen had a beautiful white dress. It was simple and elegant. Dominic had on a black tuxedo. Olivia was surprised that he didn't wear his Marines formal.

Elliot walked his oldest daughter down the aisle and Olivia swore she saw a tear in his eye as he gave her away. When he came to take his seat with her, Olivia squeezed his hand. Kathleen and Elizabeth stood besides Maureen as bridesmaids. Dickie and a man that Olivia was sure was a marine stood beside Dominic. When the priest pronounced them married, the bride and groom shared a passionate kiss.

There was no more than forty people at the reception. Dominic had no immediate family, so he only invited a few of his fellow marines. Before dinner began, there was a period where everyone stood in the hall and greeted each other whilst finding their seats.

Kathy approached Elliot and Olivia at a table reserved for _the parents. _A tall man with blond hair followed her.

"Hi Olivia, Elliot," she gave Olivia a small hug and then turned to her date. "This is Charlie."

Elliot took the man's hand and gave it a hard shake. He had a less than pleased smile as he said, "great to meet you." He turned to Olivia, "this is Olivia."

Olivia and Charlie nodded at each other. Also at the table was Elliot's mother, Kathy's parents, and Eli. After everything settled down, a series of toasts began. By far the most touching toast was made by Kathy. She was hard to follow but Elliot made his short and funny. Kathleen also made a toast along with Maureen's aunt from Kathy's side and all of her grand parents.

Eli began to get antsy after a while of sitting and eventually crawled under the table and made weird animal noises. That initiated the end of the toasts. Then the food came out.

For their first dance, they chose 'I cant help falling in love with you' by Elvis and they danced very intimately. They held each other close and looked into one another's eyes. On the last not of the song, they shared a kiss.

After their song was over, others rose to dance. Kathy and Charlie even got up.

"Wanna dance?" Elliot turned to her.

"I didn't know you could dance."

Elliot smirked and grabbed her hand leading her to the dance floor. He put one hand on her waist and held tightly to the other one. She slid her hand up to his shoulder. They started to dance just as James Blunt's 'You're beautiful' came on. Elliot stared at Olivia as they rocked back and forth to the song. He smiled and made his voice high pitched as he mock-sung the words to the song. "You're beautiful. You're beautiful, it's true. I saw your face in a crowded place and I don't know what to do."

Olivia laughed and the next song that came on was Johnny Cash's 'Jackson'. The beat was faster and they moved their bodies accordingly. Olivia watched as Dominic came up to Bernie and asked her to dance. She was the only one who came without a date. Maureen was dancing with her grandfather. After two more songs, Elliot slowed his pace.

"Would you mind if I danced with Kathy?"

"Of course not, why would I mind?" He shrugged and she said, "I'm actually thirsty, I'm going to get something to drink."

She sat at the table and stared as Elliot asked Kathy to dance and her date backed away. They got really close for the dance; closer than she and Elliot had gotten. He rested his head on top of hers. Olivia had to look away before she drew attention to herself. No sooner had she looked away than had Dominic come up to her.

"Care to dance?"

She smiled, "sure."

He had a charming smile; she'd always thought so. He brought her in close and whispered in her ear, "it's been too long, Olivia."

She looked up at him and smiled, "you were better off that way; you found someone."

"I missed you, I wish things could've been different between us. But at the same time, I'm glad they weren't. She makes me happy."

"And you could have a family together."

"We-"

"Mind if I step in?" Elliot interrupted them.

"Not at all, sir. I should be dancing with my bride anyhow," he smiled.

Elliot grabbed Olivia's hands stepping away and then twirling her around. They danced for a little while longer. Then sat down with everyone else for the declared 'picture time'. The professional photographers that had been snapping pictures all night were now taking the family pictures. The first few pictures consisted of Elliot, Kathy, and all of their children along with the groom. Then they got single pictures of all the kids and a picture of Elliot and Kathy with their arms intertwined. After that, they took pictures of the extended family. Then Dominic with his marine buddies and Dickie. The pictures seemed endless to Olivia who was sitting silently at the table staring at the action. Eli had eventually come to sit with her after he grew tired of being the center of attention amongst his family and the photographers.

"Olivia, how old are you?"

"Old," she laughed.

"Older than the sun?"

"Maybe not that old."

"Older than my dad?"

"Maybe not that old either," Olivia chuckled.

"My dad is a silly bird," Eli laughed.

"Hey, who are you calling a silly bird, mister?" Elliot said from behind Olivia and Eli's cheeks turned red as he giggled.

"I didn't say that, Olivia said that!"

"She did, huh? I guess I'll just have to punish her," Elliot grabbed her hand and led her to the place where the pictures were being taken.

"El, what are you doing?"

"Come on, let's get a couple of good ones before I feel the need to take this tie off."

They took a few standard pictures together. Elliot put his arm on her shoulder for some and around her waist for others. Then they took a few with Kathy and her date. After that, the took pictures with everyone. Elliot was somehow a pro at smiling for the camera. She supposed he'd gone to more than a few family events where pictures had been taken. She, however, became bored after ten minutes of posing. She had certainly gone to weddings before, but none where she was the date of someone so closely related to the couple. She eventually excused herself and went into the bathroom.

She fixed her hair a little bit and reapplied her lipstick. She washed her hands slowly, trying to waste time.

"It was fun till they got out the cameras, huh?" Kathleen said. Olivia hadn't heard her come in over the sound of the water running.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just not used to it."

"My date said he'd leave if he had to take one more," Kathleen laughed.

"Who is he?"

"Jonathon? He's just a friend from school."

"Your family is really into bringing their friends as dates," Olivia murmured. "Thanks for picking out the dress by the way. Your father told me. I never thought I'd see him in a pink tie, that's for sure."

"I'm not the one who picked it out, he did. And it looks wonderful by the way. You guys look so great together."

"Well, uh, thanks."

Kathy strode in, "Kathleen, Olivia, there you both are. They are going to cut the cake."

The three women walked into the main hall. They made it just in time to see Dominic holding Maureen's hand on the knife as she tried to cut a slice. When they finally managed to get the task done, Dominic hand fed the cake to Maureen. The photographers were now taking video.

Olivia found Elliot who was hanging back and drinking what appeared to be cognac. He held his hand up to her to reveal another glass but this one contained wine. She grabbed it and muttered a "thanks".

They drank for a while. They drank as everyone else started to dance again. Elliot seemed to be contemplating something.

"It's so surreal this moment. I'm so glad she found someone and she's happy. And they're all growing up, but," she noticed his tears then and she didn't know what to do, "I wish some things had been different, ya know. I want things to be different."

"Like what, El?"

He opened his mouth like he was going to reply, but then he surprised them both and kissed her. He grabbed her hair at the back of her head and brought her closer.

**You're probably like this bitch did not just end it where everyone always ends it. I didn't want to, really. It's just that I didn't want to make the chapter too long. I know how that can get boring. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Curb your enthusiasm. I've never watched the show, it just seems like a wonderful thing to say to people. **

She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "Why did you just do that?" He scratched his head and she looked around. Thankfully, no one's attention seemed to be on them in that particular moment.

"I thought you felt the same."

"Felt the same as what? You've given me no indicator to how you're feeling, let alone liking me _that way_."

"I asked you here as my date!"

"No you asked me to accompany you as your friend." Olivia looked around again; the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to them. The self-effacing woman grabbed his arm and led him into a hallway in the back of the large room.

"Come, they rented a lounge so Maureen could change." He led her up a flight of stairs and swiped a key card to get into the aforementioned room. It was small and contained several sofas and lounge chairs, a mini fridge, a television, suitcases filled with the newly weds' honeymoon clothes, and a bathroom.

"I mean why did you think I bought you the dress?" He said suddenly after he closed the door.

"You said that Kathleen forced you to!"

"And took you out on that date?"

"What da-? That was a date?"

"We went to see a movie and had dinner afterwards."

"But, my date had cancelled. I thought you were just being nice."

"And the dinner with my family? I even picked you up at the precinct."

"You mean when you said that Amanda was cute and hardly talked to me after Dominic came?"

He opened his mouth and closed it. "I know you and Dominic aren't telling us everything," he said quietly. She looked down guiltily. She was going to reply but Elliot stopped her, "I don't want to know." She looked up at him, puzzled. "If you tell me, then I have to tell her. Just tell me that whatever you guys had is over."

"El," he looked away and she realized that he thought her lack of immediate response to the question meant that the answer wasn't one he wanted to hear. "No, El, we never had anything serious. Sometimes when he was back in the states, he'd come to New York and stay with me for a few days. It wasn't serious. Neither of us wanted more."

"So he came all the way to New York because you were his fuck buddy?"

Olivia looked away and sighed. "He was always too young for me, that's why we never pursued a relationship. He told me that eventually he would want things and we agreed that I couldn't give those things to him. He just helped me through a really hard time."

"Yeah and how did he do that?" Elliot said sarcastically.

"We were both suffering from PTSD, Elliot. He understood what it was like. And I understand that this is a sensitive issue because now your daughter is involved, but you do not get to talk to me that way. I can have sex with whomever I want to and frankly it's none of your business."

Elliot took a deep breath. "I know. I was out of line. I just I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Liv."

"Elliot, there is no reason to tell her. She is going to doubt him for something that is long over. There are **no** feelings there."

He just shook his head, "okay."

"Do you want to get back?" She asked.

"Olivia," he grabbed her elbow and turned her to face him. "Do you have any feelings for me?" He stared into her eyes, waiting for the response that would make or break their relationship.

She looked away and a moment later he heard her whisper, "of course I do."

He lifted his hand to cup her chin and gently brought her to look at him again. "I have feelings for you too." He brought his mouth down to hers and kissed her once again. She closed her eyes and spread her lips. She brought her hand to the side of his face and urged him closer. He was elated at her responsiveness. He grabbed her by the hips and started to suck her tongue between his lips. She moaned.

Dickie swung the door open and grabbed his date's hand. He looked up to see two pairs of eyes staring at him. Elliot and Olivia had jumped apart and were now standing side by side, breathing heavily.

"Well, I guess this room is already taken," Dickie looked back at the giggling girl who had yet to see the two other people occupying the space.

Olivia was beyond embarrassed. "We were just…"

"Trying to find a charger," Elliot said after seeing Olivia struggle to form an explanation. "For her phone. She's on call," he added.

"And we did, so we're just going to leave now," she proclaimed.

"Okay," Dickie responded as the two of them left as if nothing had happened.

They walked slowly down the stairs before Olivia finally looked at Elliot. "Oh my god."

"What?"

"You have lipstick all over your lips."

Elliot wiped his lips and sure enough his fingers were smudged with a thick red spot. He just laughed.

"Hold still," Olivia said and then licked her thumb. She wiped the lipstick off. "So, he definitely knows."

"Well, it's not like this is some clandestine affair. We're dating," he said sanguinely.

Olivia just gave Elliot a look. "We're dating?"

"I thought we've been through this! This is a date. The night at the movies was a date. The dinner with my family was sort-of a date. We're dating."  
"That's so strange."

"Why?"

"Because I've known you for so long and suddenly our whole relationship has changed."

"Well it's not changing that much. I mean we used to see each other all the time. We used to hang out together and you would come to family get-togethers. We'll just be spending our time a little differently." He looked at her almost suggestively.

"So, we're dating?"

"Yes, we are dating."  
"Fine." Olivia proceeded walking after the word slipped from her lips. When they reached the dance floor, Elliot instantly took her hand and started dancing again.

"Can you feel the love tonight" by Elton John came on and Elliot pulled Olivia in close just as all the other couple's on the dance floor did. They swayed back and forth with her head pressed into his cheek. He pecked her on the lips as the song finished.

By the end of the night, Olivia was all danced out and happily tipsy. The last dance of the night was the one Maureen reserved for her father. Elliot had chosen the song and Olivia was pleased when Rod Stewart's "Forever Young" came on. They danced around the room for four minutes to words that held true to their relationship. At the end, everyone clapped and Maureen gave her father a kiss on the cheek and a long embrace. Out of all his kids, he's admitted to her once that she was most a daddy's girl.

Maureen and Dominic had to leave shortly after the dance to catch their two o'clock flight. Olivia was talking to Bernie at the table. Bernie's stories were eclectic. You could not tell what was true and what was a figment of her imagination. But, Olivia was quite content with just listening for the sake of listening. Elliot was off making sure that all his kids and their dates had a way to get home as they'd been drinking. Bernie dozed off after one of her stories and Olivia turned to look around the room for Elliot. She saw Kathy and her parent's having a heated discussion at the side of the room. She looked away when Kathy's mother spotted her and gave her a less than pleased look.

Olivia turned around to see Elliot and Dickie making their way back to the table. "Dad, I haven't been drinking. I can drive, I promise. And you have to drop Olivia off. Grandma should be in bed as is. I'll take her back."

"What about Kelsey?"

"Kasey's sister picked her up."

Elliot nodded, "Okay, ask Kathleen for her keys. I think she's driving back in the SUV with your mother."

Dickie just nodded and walked away. Elliot let out a breath and loosened his tie and sat down next to Olivia. "Tired?" He asked.

"No more so than you."

Dickie came back to their table with keys in hand. "Grandma, grandma wake up." Dickie patted her arm softly and Bernie stirred. She opened her eyes and stood up silently. They all said their goodnights' and the two made their way to the exit.

Olivia turned as she noticed Elliot blatantly staring at something. Kathy's parents made their way toward them with Kathy following telling her father to stop.

Elliot stood up as Marshall stepped in front of him. "You two want to get a divorce, fine. You want to see other people, fine. But, how dare you go into Church with _her_," he pointed to Olivia.

"Dad!" Kathy said. She was now clearly more angry than embarrassed.

"That is despicable and immoral. You better pray that God forgives you, son. And to make us sit here all night watching the two of you-"

"It's disgusting," Kathy's mother said. "You know better, Elliot. _She _doesn't belong here." The way they said _she_ made it sound as if Olivia was some vile creature.

"What exactly has _she_ done, Grace?" Elliot asked.

"You've been sleeping with her for years and don't think we don't know about it," Marshall exclaimed. "What is wrong with you, bringing your mistress to your daughter's wedding?"

"Me and this woman have never slept together. And remember this Marshall: we've got four more of these to look forward to and it would be a real shame if your names didn't make it on the invitation lists." Elliot took Olivia's hand and she got up. "Kathy, I'll see you at home." Elliot led Olivia toward the exit. He stopped near Kathleen who was sitting near Eli at an empty table. "Goodnight, baby" he said giving her a hug and a kiss on her temple. He did the same to a sleeping Eli as Kathleen said goodbye to Olivia and gave her a small hug.

Afterward, Elliot and Olivia continued their venture to the car. Olivia could tell that Elliot was angry. When they were situated in the car, he immediately started driving. He had not said a word but he gripped the steering wheel tightly. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

"That went well," she said after the silence became too unbearable for her.

"I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I shouldn't have…" He let himself trail off and Olivia could see him exuding anger.

"Shouldn't have brought me?" She asked.

He looked at her quickly, judging the hurt in her eyes. "Shouldn't have let him go on after he started."

Elliot stopped at a blinking light at the entrance to the highway. There were several police forming a blockade and letting few cars go at a time. The result was that traffic was backed up. Elliot was not in the mood for the delay, especially when an arrogant rookie sizzled up to his car.

"What's going on?" Elliot asked.

"We are searching for a suspect. Balding, muscular, blue eyes, late forties." The officer looked at Elliot with a cocked eyebrow.

"Sir, we just came back from a wedding reception as you can see. I highly doubt that your suspect is going to be wearing a tuxedo." Olivia commented from the passenger side.

"I'm going to have to ask you to pull over," the officer said. Elliot sighed and pulled the car over. "License?" Elliot got out his license and then reached back into his glove compartment to pull out his badge.

"Stop and put both hands on the steering wheel," the officer now pulled out his badge.

"I was just reaching for my ba-" before Elliot could complete his thought, the officer had out his weapon.

"Gun," he yelled. Elliot looked in the open glove compartment, which now showcased one of his off-duty weapons. "Get out of the car with your hands up," the officer said opening the door and stepping away, aiming the gun at Elliot.

Other officers joined him and they all had their guns aimed at Elliot. Elliot came out and put his hands on his head as was instructed. Before Olivia knew what was happening, an officer opened her door and pulled her out of the car.

"Hey, don't touch her," Elliot yelled. Olivia didn't see what happened next but suddenly Elliot was on the ground.

"Elliot!" Olivia pulled away from the officer and she could feel all the alcohol she consumed hazing her better judgment. The cop that had grabbed her from the car now forcefully grabbed both arms to restrain her.

Elliot looked up from his position on his knees and suddenly stood up. The next thing he felt was a weird shock at his side before he passed out. The last thing he could remember was Olivia's voice echoing his name.

**Dun dun dun. Okay so I'm mean. **


	7. Chapter 7

"Elliot?"

Elliot blinked and looked up into the eyes of his former captain. "Don?"

"Hey, take it easy," Cragen said as Elliot tried to get up. Elliot realized he was in the backseat of a car, a car that Cragen was driving. "You were hit with a Taser. You're fine. You passed out and medics were called. They checked you out and you're fine; heart rate is normal."

"Where's Olivia?" Elliot asked. His tongue felt thick and the dryness made him open and close his mouth a few times.

"She's driving your car, she's right behind us. She told them that you were both officers and had them call me. I've got all their badge numbers and I'm going to file an official report in the morning. That was beyond excessive force, no matter who they were looking for." Cragen looked in his rearview mirror at Elliot who was now busy trying to look for Olivia through the window.

"Why didn't she just take me in my car and drive me home?" Elliot asked now sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"She didn't want you to get riled up when you woke up."

"What happened?"

"She has a few bruises nothing too bad. Like I said, I'm going to file a report in the morning."

"What do you mean a few bruises? Don, get off at this exit." Cragen sighed and obeyed Elliot's instruction. "Stop the car," Elliot demanded.

Cragen pulled into the parking lot of some motel and saw Olivia stop beside him. Elliot immediately jumped out of the car and made his way over to Olivia.

"What's going on?" Olivia questioned.

"Are you okay?" Elliot asked.

"Of course I'm okay. Are you okay?" Olivia responded.

Elliot looked her over and noticed the purple bruising around her upper arms. He touched them gently and exhaled deeply. "Hey cap, I've got it from here. Thanks for coming and for driving me." Elliot turned around to face him.

Cragen nodded, "well have a… safe night. If you need anything, call me. Stop by the precinct tomorrow for official statements."

Olivia nodded, "goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Elliot looked at Olivia as Cragen drove away. He yawned, she yawned. "What do you say we just stay here for tonight?" Elliot asked.

Olivia shrugged and looked at her phone. It was almost four o'clock in the morning. They entered the motel and got a room for about thirty-five dollars. The price bothered Olivia because she wasn't sure what kind of room they could expect for so little. The room had not much more than two beds. Olivia wasn't expecting Elliot to request a double-bed room but he did.

Their shoes were the first things off. Then Elliot began to undo the buttons on his shirt. His jacket, vest, and tie had been disregarded sometime during the night. She asked him to unzip her dress and he did. Olivia cleared her throat and cocked an eyebrow and he turned to face the wall. She lowered her dress to the floor and let it pile at her feet. Elliot took off his plain white undershirt and handed it to her. She thanked him and put it on. He got completely undressed and remained in his boxer-briefs. They got into their separate beds and murmured 'goodnight'.

After a few minutes Elliot whispered, "Liv, are you awake?"

"No," she whispered back.

"Liv, my bed is wet."

"Hmm?"

"My bed is wet, can I sleep with you?"

Olivia turned to face him, "if you wanted to sleep with me, all you had to do was ask."

Elliot laughed and went over to her bed. She moved over to make space for him. He got under the covers and stood perfectly still until he fell asleep.

Olivia looked at him for a while after he was asleep. He had chosen to lie as far from her as possible on the small bed. He was trying to be a gentleman or he was a gentleman, she couldn't decide. She had been so desperately afraid when he'd been tasered. She instantly sobered up. At first she thought that the gun was real. When the cop pulled the trigger, she nearly lost it. Her arms still ached from the two officers that physically restrained her.

Then she'd seen him lying on the ground. It had reminded her of when Bushido shot him and left him for dead on a street corner. She was in stupid hot tears until she realized that these weren't criminals and they weren't in danger. She had taken deep breaths before identifying herself as a cop and reciting her badge number. They almost didn't believe her until she told them to call Cragen. He had rushed over in record time and Olivia was never more grateful to have such a caring C.O. The profuse apologies that came after made her sick and she refused to hear any of them. She let Cragen deal with reprimanding the officers as she went over to Elliot. That's why she took the opportunity to stare now. She memorized his features for all the times she will probably worry and agonize over him. The fucker loved trouble; that was definite.

Thirty minutes had passed with her looking at him and thinking about things too much.

"Liv," he said in a tired yawn.

"What?"

"Go to sleep," he opened his eyes for emphasis.

"Okay," she replied quietly. She moved closer to him. He blinked. She grabbed his arm and brought it up to lay parallel to the pillows. She lay down with her neck on his arm. He finally seemed to understand what she was doing and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. It was his turn to look at her but she just closed her eyes and went to sleep. He wrapped his other arm around her and joined her.

They didn't wake up until after noon. She awoke first. Her sleep habits were strictly scheduled and her subconscious never seemed to realize when she had a day off. His arms were still around her and his chin rest on her head. His stubble tickled her hair every time she moved. She moved her head off of his shoulder and his eyes snapped open.

"Morning," he mumbled.

"More like afternoon," she looked on her phone, which was on the nightstand beside the bed.

"Let's get food."

"You wake up in bed with an attractive woman and all you can think about is food?"

"Who says you're attractive?"

She smirks as they both get out of bed. She peaks at him in only his underwear. He's toned more than she can remember. She knew from experience that he was a gym rat. He was a different person when he didn't get his daily workout.

Her nipples were suddenly hard and the white shirt did nothing to conceal them. He turned to look at her because she hadn't moved since getting off the bed. She knew when he noticed. His eyes had flashed down to her breasts quickly before moving up to her eyes. He noticed but he pretended he didn't.

He cleared his throat before he spoke. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Are we seriously going to go in these clothes?"

"I saw a Kmart across the street. Why don't I just go pick us up some clothes?"

"Okay, I need a shower anyway."

He pulled on his pants. "Can I have that shirt? It'll be a little strange to walk into a Kmart with a dress shirt."

Olivia turned around and lifted the shirt off of her head. She handed it to him and went into the bathroom. She came back with a towel wrapped around her body and whispered, "hurry back" before she kissed him. It was short but intimate and just what he needed to reassure himself that the good parts of the wedding weren't just some semblance of a dream amidst a horrible nightmare.

He grinned wide, "I will".

He drove across the street to the mega market. He got Olivia a simple purple sundress and himself a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. He knew that Olivia would probably need underwear so he picked up a pack of all black Hanes women's underwear, paying as little attention as possible to the type because he didn't want to picture Olivia wearing them. He also picked up some toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a hairbrush. Living with women had taught him that certain beauty supplies were just essential, a hairbrush being on top of the list.

Elliot came back to the motel and went straight to their room. She was lying on the bed with a towel wrapped around herself. He saw that she had neatly folded all of their clothes and put them or a small table. He pulled the dress and underwear out of the bag and threw it to her.

"Oh, thanks. I wasn't sure if you would know to pick up some," she held up the package. She instantly tore into the plastic covering and took one out. She held it up and looked at him. "Granny panties?" He noticed for the first time how big the underwear was for a medium. It was unusually high and looked almost like a pair of black shorts.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

She just shook her head and put them on underneath the towel. She then went across the room to retrieve her bra. He took off his slacks and white shirt. He was almost sad to part with it since it had smelled like her. When she turns back around in her bra and underwear, his chest becomes red as it sometimes does when he's nervous, angry, or _aroused_. He just turns around and puts on his new clothes. The underwear did admittedly look ridiculous on her. It went half way up her stomach and down to her thighs. She put the dress on and it thankfully covered her bruises.

They went to an IHop that Elliot just happened to know was in the area. The lunch was nice and it more than made up for the meal that they'd missed. They'd both opted for the breakfast menu. They also had a much needed conversation about why Kathy's parents would think that they were sleeping together. Elliot admitted that Kathy had been more than a little jealous in their early years of partnership and had been one of the causes for their almost divorce years ago. But, Elliot also assured her that Kathy had gotten over the sentiment and was not uncomfortable in the least with them going out.

After lunch, they went to the precinct as Cragen had instructed. They greeted Fin, Rollins, and Munch who were all in the squad room. Cragen took Olivia's statement and assigned Amanda to take Elliot's.

Amanda brought Elliot into the interview room. "Why don't we start with a where?" Amanda said as they sat down.

"We were getting onto the L.I.E. near Little Neck."

"Where were you coming from?"

"My daughter's wedding."

"Had you been drinking?"

"I'd had a scotch and champagne. But, I definitely wasn't over the legal limit. I knew I was the designated driver."

"Had Olivia been drinking?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess she had a few drinks."

"Was she intoxicated?"

"I don't believe so."

"Okay, so what happened?"

"The officers stopped us while we were getting onto the highway. He'd described a suspect that albeit matched my description and he asked me to pull over. When I complied, he asked me for license and registration and I handed over said articles from my glove compartment. Then I reached in my glove compartment to get my badge and before I knew what was happening the officer screamed gun. He instructed me to get out of the car and I again complied. I tried to explain that I was an officer but the officer told me to stop talking. Then they pulled Olivia out of the car. They didn't even ask her to get out; they just grabbed her. I yelled at them to stop and they had me on the ground in seconds."

"Did either of you reach for the gun in the glove compartment?"

"No."

"Did you get physical with the officers on scene in any way?"

"No. I mean, I tried to get up when they pulled me to the floor."

"Why?"

"Olivia was screaming and I saw two guys grab her."

"What happened next?"

"They tasered me. I was knocked unconscious."

"Okay, anything else you want to add?"

Elliot thought about it, "no."

Amanda nodded, "I guess we're done here." Elliot nodded and stood up. "So, are you and Olivia together?"

Elliot looked at her curiously. "Yeah, we are."

"Olivia deserves to be happy."

"I know." Elliot was about to leave but he turned around, "Fin is a great guy."

Amanda stared at him and then smiled, "I know."

Elliot walked out into the squad room and sat at the chair reserved for witnesses beside Olivia's desk.

"She went to the ladies room," Munch said from his desk before going back to his computer.

Elliot didn't reply but looked up as a dark haired man slid into the seat across from Olivia's.

"You must be Stabler," Nick smiled, almost eager to meet the man that he'd heard so much about and the man that could possibly help him break through Olivia's think walls.

"I am and your Nick Amaro." Elliot stared at Nick, "Thirteen years on the job. Second grade detective. On and off undercover ops for nine years before you got married and settled down. One daughter, Zara, age five."

"Olivia tell you all that?" Nick asked confused.

"Something like that."

Olivia came into the bullpen and Elliot stood up ready to leave. They said their goodbyes before getting on the elevator.

"Your interview was especially long," Olivia remarked.

Elliot shrugged and tried to judge her facial expression as they got off the elevator and into the parking lot. They walked to the car in silence. When they got to it, Olivia stood near the driver's door and Elliot looked at her suspiciously.

She grabbed the sides of his shirt and brought his mouth down to hers. Her kiss was passionate and unrelenting. She took his hands and brought them around to her butt. He gently squeezed as she continued to kiss him. She sucked on his lip and then entered his mouth with her tongue. He rubbed against her front and they suddenly broke off at a honking car.

"What was that for?"

"A preview of what's to come."


End file.
